EXERCISE AND MANOEUVRES OF THE LANCE (1820)

This book was originally intended to be a new military training manual on the lance and its use by British Cavalry. Lancers were the fast shock troops of an army, as well as reconnaissance units. Their weapons were lance and sometimes also the sabre, but the lance was the weapon which instilled fear in foot troops.
The book is illustrated with 19 full page line drawings of the lance and the various positions in which it was carried and used to attack. The drawings are themselves collector’s items, but when added to the text the real value of lancers becomes clear. The text is above all a drill manual, for most operational activities were merely extensions of what was learned on the parade ground or the drill field. There are constant references to the Polish Lancers, who had gained such a reputation in the Napoleonic Wars, and the whole book gives a complete picture of the cavalry regiment, its component squadrons and the individual lancers themselves.